INDIGEN:US

What does it mean to be Indigenous at Sheridan and in its communities?

The five prints on display were selected from two different photographic series by Elijah Monroe, a Sheridan alum and current staff member. Two of the photographs come from I am an Indian within the Meaning of the Indian Act (2016), a series in which Monroe paired excerpts from the federal government’s Indian Act with portraits of community members and their status cards. The remaining three photographs are part of an untitled project by Monroe that responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action by presenting portraits of Sheridan affiliates alongside their answers to the question, “what does being Indigenous mean to you?” Viewed together, the two series bring attention to how individuals reflect differently on their identities, and to the gaps between self- determined ideas and government designations.

There are multiple and varied ways to define what it means to be Indigenous at Sheridan and in its communities. Rather than striving for a singular answer, INDIGEN:US opens up a space for contemplation and dialogue across our campuses and beyond.

Elijah Monroe, Untitled, 2016

Elijah Monroe, Untitled from I am an Indian within the Meaning of the Indian Act, 2016

Elijah Monroe, Untitled from I am an Indian within the Meaning of the Indian Act, 2016